Process for lubricating regenerated cellulose yarns



Patented July 20, 1954 PROCESS FORLUBRICATING REGEN- ERATED CELLULOSEYARNS FredFortess, Summit, N. J assignor to Celanese Corporation ofAmerica, New York, N. Y., a corporation. of Delawar No Drawing.Application February 18, 1950, Serial No. 145,078

3 Claims.

This invention relates. to lubricant and conditioning compositions andrelates more particularly to lubricant and conditioning compositionsadapted to be employed in connection with the production of hightenacity regenerated cellulose yarns and filaments'comprising stretchedand saponified yarns and filaments having a basis of cellulose acetateor other organic acid ester of cellulose.

Yarns of high tenacity regenerated cellulose have been obtained bystretching yarns having a basis of cellulose acetate or other organicacid ester of cellulose and then subjecting the stretched yarns tosaponification. The stretching is normally effected by exerting atension on the yarns while they are under the influence of a softeningagent such as steam, hot water or a liquid containing an organic solventor softening agent for the organic acidester of cellulose material. maybe stretched 200, 300, 5000: even 1000 to 200{)% of their originallength with the denier of the yarns being, of course, correspondinglydethe yarns in package form to saponification,

back-winding the saponified, regenerated cellulose yarns on to asuitable yarn support and then twisting and coning' the regeneratedcellulose yarn to impart the desired degree of twist to the yarn and toplace it in a suitable package form for use in weaving and knittingoperations.

The processing of cellulose acetate or other organic acid ester ofcellulose yarns into high tenacity regenerated cellulose yarns by themethod described above requires numerous textile operations such aswinding, back-winding and the like. In order to avoid broken filamentsand slub formation, theyarnsmust be properly lubricated. In addition,-it has been observed that in order to knit high tenacity-regeneratedcellulose yarns satisfactorily, it isessential that they be properlylubricated and conditioned. The highly oriented nature of'thehigh'tenacity regenerated cellulose yarns obtained as described abovemakes them relatively'stiff. This stiffness has a markedlyadverse'effect, for example, on the bearded needles normally employed inwarp knitting operations. The" yarn stiffness causes a rapidfatiguing'of the needl'ebeards and During the stretching operation theyarns the frequent breakage ofv the needles due to the resulting fatiguemakes the knitting of said yarns into commercially acceptable fabricsubstantially impossible due to the fabric defects which result fromthe. numerous dropped stitches caused by such needle breakage.

It is, therefore, an important object of this invention to provide animproved lubricating and conditioning composition for the lubricationand conditioning of high tenacity regenerated cellulose yarns capable ofimparting improved flexibility thereto so as to enable said yarns to beknitted into fabrics satisfactorily by knitting operations employingbearded knitting needles.

Another object of this invention is the provision of novel lubricatingand conditioning compositions which are suitable for application,duringprocessing operations, to yarns having a basis of celluloseacetate or other organic acid ester of cellulose which enable said yarnsto be rocessed into high tenacity regenerated cellulose yarns bystretching and saponifying operations in an efiicient and economicalmanner.

Other objects of this invention will appear from the following detaileddescription.

I have now found that the lubrication and conditioning. of high tenacityregenerated ceilulose yarns may be effected satisfactorily. and

sufiicient flexibility imparted to said yarns to enable them tobe'knitted into commercially acceptable fabrics by Warp knittingoperations employing bearded needles if said yarns are lubricated andconditioned with a novel lubricant and conditioning compositionincluding an alkylolamine amide of a long chain fatty acid, sulfonatedpetroleum, a polyhydroxy long chain aliphatic alcohol and a monohydroxylong chain aliphatic alcohol. Advantageously, the lubricating andconditioningcomposition is emulsified with water and the aqueousemulsion thus formed then applied to the high tenacity regeneratedcellulose yarns in such amount that from about 2 to'about'5% by weightof the lubricating and conditioning composition is deposited on the hightenacity regenerated cellulose yarns.

Optimum results are obtained when the novel lubricating and conditioningcomposition of my invention comprises from about 35 to 45 parts byweight of the diethanolamine amide of lauric acid,20 to 25'parts byweight of the sodium or "other salt of an aryl sulfonate, such as analkyl benzene su1fonate,'alky1 naphthalene sulfcnate or a sulfonatedpetroleum base containing 11 to 12% combined SOs, 20 to 25 parts'byWeight of 2-ethyl-l,3-hexanediol and 0 to 5 parts byweight ofZ-ethyl-hexanol. When the above composition is to be applied in the formof a water in oil emulsion, about 10 to 30 parts by weight of water maybe combined with 100 parts by weight of said composition. When a moredilute, i. e. oil in water, emulsion is desired, from about 75 to 900parts by weight of water may be added to about 50 parts by Weight ofsaid composition and the mixture stirred rapidly to form the desiredemulsion. In either range, the resulting emulsions are completelystable. The novel lubricating and conditioning composition of myinvention yields particularly advantageous results when applied to thosehigh tenacity regenerated cellulose yarns obtained by stretching andsaponifying cellulose acetate or other organic acid ester of celluloseyarns when said high tenacity regenerated cellulose yarns are put up inthe form of section beams and are employed in warp knitting operations.

In order further to illustrate my invention, but without being limitedthereto, the following example is given:

7 Example I A cellulose acetate yarn of 4% denier having 40 filaments islubricated at the metier with about 3 to 5% by weight of a suitablemetier lubricant and the yarn is then passed through a hot water bathwhere the residual spinning solvent (acetone) is removed. The yarn issoftened in the hot water bath and is further softened by exposure tosteam under a pressure of 35 to 45 pounds per square inch gauge. In thissoftened condition, the yarn is given a times stretch, thus reducing itto 48 denier. The major part of the metier lubricant composition isremoved in the hot water bath leaving from about 0.1 to 0.2% by weightof residual metier lubricant thereon. The stretched yarn is taken up onperforated steel bobbins and saponified in a saponifying bath comprisinga 0.6% by weight aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide containing about10% by weight of sodium acetate and maintained at about 60 C.

The saponified high tenacity regenerated cellulose yarn is then treatedwith an aqueous emulsion of a lubricating and conditioning agent of thefollowing composition:

Parts by weight Diethanolamine amide of lauric acid 45 Sulfonatedpetroleum base -i 25 Z-ethyl-lB-hexanediol 25 Lethyl-hexanol 5 The abovecomposition comprises the basic lubricant of my invention. The emulsionemployed is formed by the addition of 30 parts by weight of water to theabove composition. The emulsion is applied to the running yarn in suchamount that from 2 to 5% by weight of the lubricant composition remainsthereon. The yarn is rendered highly flexible by the application of thislubricating and conditioning composition thereto. The yarn may bereadily warp knitted into commercially acceptable fabric Withoutencountering any appreciable needle breakage.

While the novel composition of my invention may be employed in the formof an emulsion for the particular purpose described above, it alsoprovides an excellent base material, by the addition thereto of certainother components, for the preparation of improved lubricant andconditioning compositions suitable for application to high tenacityregenerated cellulose yarns durin conin operations as well as tostretched cellulose acetate or other organic acid ester of celluloseyarns, prior to their saponification whereby they are chemicallyconverted to regenerated cellulose yarns.

In order to modify the basic lubricating and conditioning composition ofmy invention for such other additional uses, certain other componentsmay be formulated therewith to yield the desired modified composition.

To form a lubricating composition which is highly desirable both forapplication to yarns which are subjected to coning operations and forthe preparation of high tenacity regenerated cellulose yarns havingexcellent weaving and knitting characteristics when applied thereto, mybasic composition may have added thereto a relatively large proportionof mineral oil, a small proportion of an oxidized vegetable oil, such asoxidized peanut oil, a blending agent such as diamyl phenol and, in someinstances, a yarn softener such as an acylated alkyl ester of a longchain fatty acid, as for example, butyl acetyl ricinoleate. Thismodified composition is preferably employed as such, 1. e. withoutdilution to an aqueous emulsion form. Ihe basic composition, when thusmodified, is most advantage- Ously applied as a coning lubricant to hightenacity regenerated cellulose yarns which are obtained after thestretching and saponification steps have been completed. Stableemulsions of this modified composition may be formed, however.

Thus, in forming said modified composition, I combine from 15 to 25parts by Weight of my basic composition with 10 to 30 parts by weight ofmineral oil of a viscosity 40 to 50 seconds Saybolt, at 106 F., 1 to 3parts by weight of oxidized peanut oil, 1 to 3 parts by weight of diamylphenol and 1 to 3 parts by weight of butyl acetyl ricinoleate. Theparticular proportions oi these components which are employed dependslargely on what viscosity is desired in the oil.

This novel modified composition is illustrated by the following example.

Example II A composition suitable for application during coningoperations and the like comprises the following:

Parts by weight Basic lubricant composition of Example I 18 Mineral oil(40 sec. SUV) l5 Diamyl phenol 1.5 Butyl acetyl ricinoleate 1.5 Oxidizedpeanut oil l 5 This composition has an SUV (Saybolt Uni versalviscosity) at F. of and is applied directly to the high tenacityregenerated cellulose yarn after stretching and saponification has beeneffected. Preferably, the composition is applied to the yarn in anamount of from 3 to 5% by weight on the weight of the yarn. Thelubricated and conditioned yarn thus obtained is very satisfactorilylubricated and conditioned not only for coning operations but may bereadily woven or warp knitted into commercially acceptable fabric withno appreciable needle breakage beyond that normally encountered in theknitting of any yarns.

If it is desired to provide a modified lubricant and conditioningcomposition suitable for application to stretched cellulose acetate orother organic acid ester of cellulose yarns, prior to saponification,the acylated alkyl ester of the long chain fatty acid employed as thesoftening agent in the composition above is preferably omitted and thecomposition thus obtained is then applied in emulsion form, the emulsionbeing formed by the addition of a suitable quantity of water thereto.

When modified for emulsion application to cellulose acetate or organicderivative of cellulose yarns, the modified composition preferablycomprises from 15 to 25 parts by weight of my basic composition, to 30parts by weight of mineral oil of 40 to 50 seconds Saybolt viscosity at100 F., 1 to 3 parts by weight of oxidized peanut oil and 1 to 3 partsby weight of diamyl phenol. A suitable emulsion is formed when 100 partsby Weight of the above composition are emulsified with to 35 parts byweight of water. When the resulting emulsion is applied to the stretchedcellulose acetate or other organic acid ester of cellulose yarn so as todeposit thereon from 2 to 5% by weight of the lubricant, and the yarnthen taken up on perforated bobbins and saponified excellent results areobtained. This lubricant composition, when applied in the form of anaqueous emulsion, is also valuable for application to the stretched andsaponified high tenacity regenerated cellulose yarns in the preparationof said yarns for knitting operations.

This additional modification is illustrated by the following example.

Escample III A further modified composition is obtained when thefollowing components are mixed together:

Parts by weight Basic lubricant composition of Example I 30 Mineral oil(40 sec. SUV) 15 Diamyl phenol 1.5 Oxidized peanut oil 3.0 Water 8.0

This composition forms a water in oil emulsion having an SUV at 100 F.of 130 to 135 and is preferably applied to the yarns in such amount thatwhen the Water evaporates, from 2 to 5% by Weight of the lubricant andconditioning components remain on the yarn.

The lubricating and conditioning compositions described above may beapplied to stretched yarns or to stretched and saponified yarns orfilaments in any convenient manner. Thus, the compositions may beapplied by means of wicks, rollers, discs or other suitable furnishingdevices and may also be applied by the immersion of the yarns to betreated in a dilute emulsion While in package form. All of my novelcompositions are completely emulsifiable with water and may be removedfrom knitted or Woven fabrics formed from the lubricated and conditionedyarns by washing the fabrics on suitable textile processing apparatus.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is givenmerely by Way of illustration and that many variations may be madetherein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. In a process for the treatment of high tenacity regenerated celluloseyarns to render the same readily amenable to textile operations, thestep which comprises applying thereto a lubricating and conditioningcomposition containing as the essential lubricating material therein amixture of 35 to 45 parts by Weight of the diethanolamide of lauricacid, 20 to 25 parts by Weight of an aryl sulfonate, 20 to 25 parts byweight of 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol and up to 5 parts by Weight of2-ethylhexanol.

2. In a process for the treatment of high tenacity regenerated celluloseyarns to render the same readily amenable to textile operations, thestep which comprises applying thereto a lubricant and conditioningcomposition comprising 15 to 25 parts by Weight of a mixture of 35 to 45parts by Weight of the diethanolamide of lauric acid, 20 to 25 parts byweight of 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol, 20 to 25 parts by weight of an arylsulfonate, and up to 5 parts by weight of 2-ethyl-hexanol, to which hasbeen added 10 to 30 parts by weight of 40 to 50 SUV mineral oil, 1 to 3parts by Weight of oxidized peanut oil, 1 to 3 parts by Weight of diamylphenol and 1 to 3 parts by Weight of butyl acetyl ricinoleate.

3. In a process for the treatment of high tenacity regenerated celluloseyarns to render the same readily amenable to textile operations, thestep which comprises applying thereto a lubricant and conditioningcomposition containing as at least a major component therein 15 to 25parts by Weight of a mixture of 35 to 45 parts by Weight of thediethanolamide of lauric acid, 20 to 25 parts by weight of an arylsulfonate, 20 to 25 parts by weight of 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol and up to5 parts by weight of 2-ethyl-hexanol having added thereto 10 to 30 partsby Weight of mineral oil, 1 to 3 parts by Weight of oxidized peanut oil,1 to 3 parts by weight of diamyl phenol and 5 to 10 parts by weight ofwater.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,067,202 Pool et al. Jan. 12, 1937 2,089,212 Kritchevsky Aug.10, 1937 2,096,749 Kritchevsky Oct. 26, 1937 2,150,571 Whitehead Mar.14, 1939 2,385,423 Seymour et a1 Sept. 25, 1945 OTHER REFERENCES Nevilleet al.: American Dyestuff Reporter, vol. XXII, September 11, 1933, No.10, pages 541, 542, 543.

Ind. and Eng. Chem, vol 31, January 1939, vol. 1, page 69.

Rayon Textile Monthly, November 1943, page 68.

Synthetic Organic Chemicals, Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corp, 1940,page 11.

Chemical Abstracts, 1947, vol. 41, col. 6365c.

1. IN A PROCESS FOR THE TREATMENT OF HIGH TENACITY REGENERATED CELLULOSEYARNS TO RENDER THE SAME READILY AMENABLE TO TEXTILE OPERATIONS, THESTEPS WHICH COMPRISES APPLYING THERETO A LUBRICATING AND CONDITIONINGCOMPOSITION CONTAINING AS THE ESSENTIAL LUBRICATING MATERIAL THEREIN AMIXTURE OF 35 TO 45 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF THE DIETHANOLAMIDE OF LAURICACID, 20 TO 25 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF AN ARYL SULFONATE, 20 TO 25 PARTS BYWEIGHT OF 2-ETHYL-1,3-HEXANEDIOL AND UP TO 5 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF2-ETHYLHEXANOL.